Archives: 12-back

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The Last Call.

The Last Call. (Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage Imperial Dignitary)

The Last Call. (Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage Imperial Dignitary)

Buying Notes on the Vintage Stormtrooper

Check out the current vintage Stormtrooper listings here.

The vintage Stormtrooper is among the most iconic of the vintage Kenner figures. The good news is they’re plentiful and you can pull a gorgeous, like-new one off the auction table for not much dough. Certainly no more than $15 delivered. But you’ve got to be a bit careful as you go.

First it’s common to see reproduction accessories. The vintage Stormie came with a beautiful little imperial blaster that helped him shoot up jawas and rebels alike. But small and fun often equals small and lost. Enter the repro accessory makers and with them a lot of confusion on how to keep things straight. How to tell? Thanks to the good guys over at Imperial Gunnery, this is a nut easily cracked. Check out their awesome guide first before you buy something your unsure of.

Second, take a good look at the photos to spot yellowing. The vintage figures molded in white plastic are the ones most prone to a change in color due to plastic degradation. Some are yellowing and some aren’t, just keep a keen eye on what the seller is showing you and ask for more or better photos if its unclear.

And lastly be sure to inquire on whether or not the figure has loose joints or not. Stormtroopers saw a lot of play in their day and the limbs became loose quickly. If this is important to you (it’s important to me) drop the seller a line through the eBay message system before bidding.

Feel free to add any thoughts in the comments and drop me a line if you run into any trouble!

Check out the current vintage Stormtrooper listings here.

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Koona Chuta, Solo?

Koona Chuta, Solo? (Vintage Han Solo, Vintage Greedo)

Koona Chuta, Solo? (Vintage Han Solo, Vintage Greedo)

It wouldn’t take much to convince me that Han Solo rates best-in-class among the original 12 Star Wars action figures. Kenner succeeded on so many levels here. Dashing good looks. A blaster arm bent for quick draw in a duel. Excellent detail in both sculpt and paint from head to toe.

At least that’s the way it began.

By the time Empire Strikes Back was released, (and for reasons that utterly escape me) Kenner scrapped the original sculpt you see here and revised smuggler Han Solo with a strange, disproportionately large, not-altogether-flattering new head.

Hey, living with a bounty on your head is tough enough. But to wake up one day completely disfigured? It’s just too much to bare.

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The Automatic.

The Automatic. (Vintage 2-1B, Vintage C-3PO)

The Automatic. (Vintage 2-1B, Vintage C-3PO)

Thirty years ago the 2-1B action figure didn’t present a lot of game for me. That character in the Empire Strikes Back only had one or two spoken lines and his main gig was poking at dead Tauntauns and a near-dead Luke Skywalker. Kind of horrifying actually.

Now (much as I’ve done with all 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-string action figures) I’ve forgiven 2-1B all shortcomings and granted him unconditional rad toy status. His feats of medical derring-do are celebrated here in one of my personal favorite pics to date. Sock it to ’em One-bee!

This is the last post for 2009. Thanks to everyone for making this a really fun first year.

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The Sand People Strike Back.

The Sand People Strike Back. (Vintage Sandpeople)

The Sand People Strike Back. (Vintage Sand People)

I loves ’em all. But let’s face it, nothing triggers an emotional response quite like the original group of 12 Star Wars action figures that were released in early 1978. Were the awesome Sand People part of all that biz? Oh, hell yes they were. Now seriously — can I get an “AROOOO”!?!

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Bad Robot(s)!

Bad Robot(s)! (Vintage Zuckuss, Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage IG-88)

Bad Robot(s)! (Vintage Zuckuss, Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage IG-88)

The vintage Zuckuss action figure is just mired in intrigue. It appears that operatives at the Kenner factory botched their intel and named the 4-LOM action figure ‘Zuckuss’ (while naturally naming the Zuckuss action figure ‘4-LOM’). Would the ill-tempered Lord Vader be pissed if he’d caught wind of this mess? You bet your ass. Did anyone in Cincinnati lose their job over it? Well I doubt it.

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Pilots.

Pilots. (Vintage Han Solo, Vintage Bespin Security Guards, Vintage General Lando Calrissian)

Pilots. (Vintage Han Solo, Vintage Bespin Security Guards, Vintage General Lando Calrissian)

Well what do we have we here? Looks like Lando Calrissian in shades of pink and lavender!

Say what you will about the color palate. When Kenner released the excellent General Lando Calrissian action figure in 1985, all crimes related to 1980’s not-altogether-awesome Lando action figure were instantly forgiven.

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Darker Plans.

Darker Plans. (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Commanders)

Darker Plans. (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Commanders)

Buying Notes on Vintage Darth Vader

Check out the current vintage Darth Vader listings here.

A nice vintage Darth Vader action figure is pretty much the alpha and omega of any collection. This is true for the beginner and advanced collector alike. A classic toy reaching back to 1978, the vintage Darth Vader has spun countless revisions and imitations but really has never been improved upon.

So I can’t blame you for thinking about picking one up. But because this item is so popular, it can be rough seas acquiring a good (and authentic) example for a reasonable price. Let’s go over some of the main points to consider before pulling the trigger on a vintage Darth Vader.

Once you’re on board at eBay the first thing you’ll notice is that the key words “Darth Vader” are used and abused ad nauseum to get your attention to buy other stuff. Don’t be discouraged and whatever you do don’t be distracted or tricked into buying something else. Your eyes will quickly learn to ignore all of the nonsense and aim strictly for the vintage gold. The links I’ve provided already do it to some extent, but you may also want to play around with the search engine’s advanced function on eBay to filter out the unhelpful stuff. Be especially aware of the new Hasbro toys labelled as “Vintage Collection”, “Original Trilogy”, etc. Their packaging is cleverly retro and aims to steer the newcomer off course.

Important to keep in mind with the vintage Darth Vader is that you’ve got two accessories to contend with: the vinyl cape and the light saber. Both were easily lost and/or damaged by their original owners so it’s common to see reproductions in the marketplace being passed off as original. There are excellent resources to read through at the Imperial Gunnery forum that will help you avoid pitfalls. Read them carefully. Go here for the light saber and here for the cape. This is also a good time to correlate a seller’s claims of authenticity with their feedback score. Have they sold a ton of toys? Do they score 100% with their buyers? If not, you can think twice about believing their claims. Don’t forget to double check the photos closely. Does the cape look torn anywhere? Do the arm-holes look distressed or sharp? How about that saber tip. Does it look straight and strong or does it like a toddler might have chomped on it for a snack once or twice?

As much as any other vintage figure, Darth Vader was a character that saw heavy play at the hands of us grubby kids in the 70s and 80s. If it’s not mentioned in the auction be sure to ask the seller in a message if the figure’s limbs and head are loose or stiff. Let the loose limbed Vaders go to the diorama builders. You want the guy that’s as close to package fresh as possible. The vintage Darth Vader had very little paint applied by Kenner so not much to worry about there. And chances are if you’re buying a figure with loose limbs there won’t be paint loss.

Feel free to add any thoughts in the comments and drop me a line if you run into any trouble!

Check out the current Darth Vader listings here.

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